There are about 6,000 physician’s assistants and 18,000 nurse practitioners in Florida.

Until now, Florida was the only state that did not allow nurse practitioners prescribing privileges and one of two states that did not allow physician assistants the same privileges.

Exceptions to the bill include a provision preventing nurses who are not certified as psychiatric nurses from prescribing psychotropic medications like Adderall to minors, and nurse practitioners and PAs may not prescribe controlled substances in pain management clinics.